Apparatus for circulating novelty figures

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a plurality of brackets, wherein each bracket is mountable on a substantially upright support, and wherein each bracket extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the support. A pulley is mounted on each bracket, wherein a rotational axis of the pulleys is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support. A first line is retained by and moveable in the pulleys, and a plurality of second lines are attached to the first line. The second lines extend in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support. At least one novelty figure is attached to each of the second lines. A drive apparatus rotates at least one pulley to cause the first line to traverse the arrangement of pulleys.

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/196,551, filed Oct. 17, 2008, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY

The apparatus described in this disclosure allows novelty figures to appear to “fly” around an area such as user's backyard, in a park, or other designated public or private place including inside, on, or on top of a house or building or place of business.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example novelty figure suspended from a track line via a figure line.

FIG. 2 is an overhead view of an example arrangement of pulleys traversed by the track line.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example apparatus.

Like drawings include like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, an apparatus 10 includes a plurality of pulleys 12, each mounted on a bracket 14. Each bracket 14 is mounted on an upright support 16, such as for example, a tree or a pole. A first line 20, referred to herein as the track line, traverses the arrangement of pulleys 12 to form a track 22 that occupies a plane generally parallel to the plane of the ground. A plurality of second lines 30, also referred to herein as figure lines, are attached to and suspended from the track line 20. Each of the figure lines 30 has attached thereto a novelty FIG. 32 such as, for example, a Halloween character. In some embodiments, the novelty FIGS. 32 are illuminated. In other embodiments, the apparatus 10 includes a drive apparatus 11 that can turn at least one of the pulleys 12 to cause the track line 20 to traverse the track 22 defined by the arrangement of pulleys 12. In operation, the novelty FIGS. 32, which are suspended from the figure lines 30, appear to fly through the air as the first line 20 traverses the track 22.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the brackets 14 are mountable on any upright support 16, such as, for example, trees, light poles, houses, walls, gutters, fences, etc. The brackets 14 extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis A of the upright supports 16. In some embodiments, the brackets 14 include mounting apertures (not shown) that can accept mounting straps for ease of attachment to the upright supports 16. In some embodiments, for example, the bracket 14 is secured to a tree, light pole, house, etc via zip ties. In other embodiments the bracket 14 is secured via screws, bolts, clamps (e.g. to gutters, railings, or door jams, or any other stationary point). The brackets 14 can be made of any suitable material such as, for example, metal, plastic, or wood.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3, the brackets 14 further include pulleys 12 with a rotational axis placed generally along the longitudinal axis A of the upright support, or substantially normal to a major axis of an arm 13 of the bracket 14. In some embodiments, the pulleys 12, which may be metal or a polymeric material, are mounted such that the track line 20 can move about the pulleys 12 a traverse the track 22 in a plane substantially perpendicular to an axis A of the upright support 16 (i.e. parallel to the plane of the ground). In other embodiments not shown in FIGS. 1-3, the bracket 14 is adjustable to allow the plane of the pulley 12 to align with the desired plane of the track 22. In other embodiments one or more pulleys 12 and brackets 14 could be adjusted to allow the plane of the track 22 to be changed in a portion of the circuit to follow a more vertical, or oblique path and then be restored to a more conventional plane parallel to the plane of the ground. The brackets 14 would also allow the pulleys 12 and/or the drive apparatus 11 to be adjusted along the arm 13 of the bracket 14. The bracket 14 would also allow the arm 13 of the bracket to be adjustable so that once the bracket 14 is attached to the support 16, the angle at which the bracket arm 13 extends can be changed in both the vertical and horizontal direction as desired.

The tension of the track line 20 can optionally be adjusted with a track line tension clamp (not shown in FIGS. 1-3) that allows the adjustment of the tension of the track line 20 by pulling the track line 20 tighter or loosening it.

The pulleys 12 are attached to the brackets 14 to allow the lines 20, 30 and any associated hardware to freely travel around the pulley circuit 22 multiple times without binding or derailing. In some embodiments, for example, the pulleys 12 are v-belt pulleys that allow the lines 20, 30 to ride in the “V” and allow for the hardware such as lines, connectors, and swivel brackets (shown in FIG. 1 and discussed in more detail below) to travel through the pulleys 12 without derailing the lines 20, 30. In other embodiments, a cable pulley or the like can be used to allow the lines and associated hardware to travel through the pulley without binding.

In some embodiments, one of the pulleys 12A, referred to herein as the drive pulley, can optionally include a shaft 17 for attachment to a drive apparatus 11 such as, for example, an electric motor, a variable speed electric motor, a hand crank, or the like. In some embodiments, the electric motor 11 can be plugged into an electrical outlet, or may be powered by a battery. In other embodiments, the electric motor 11 may be remotely controlled by a controller 15 (shown conceptually in FIG. 3). In one embodiment (not shown in FIGS. 1-3), a pulley 12 attached to a shaft may be secured in the chuck of an electric drill to drive the line 20. In another embodiment, the electric motor 11 may optionally be attached to an arrangement of gears to provide proper control for movement of the lines 20, 30 about the pulley arrangement defining the track 22.

The first line 20, also referred to herein as the track line, traverses the arrangement of pulleys 12, and travels around the yard pulling the second (figure) lines 30, which are attached to the novelty FIGS. 32. The track line 20 can be any length desired, and its length will depend, for example, on the number of pulleys 12 and lengths of the lines in the system, whether the apparatus 10 is to be used indoors or outdoors, and the total amount of real estate available for circulation of the novelty FIGS. 32.

The second lines 30, also referred to herein as the figure lines, connect the novelty FIGS. 32 to the track line 20. In some embodiment, the figure lines 30 are approximately 2 to 3 feet long and are preferably made from a transparent or translucent material such as, for example, a monofilament fishing line. In a preferred embodiment, the figure lines 30 are attached to the track line 20 via an apparatus such as a swivel bracket 34 (FIG. 1) that prevents the twisting motion of the track line 20 from twisting the figure lines 30 around the track line 20. An optional swivel stop 36 can be attached to the track line 20. The swivel stop 36 is larger than an aperture 35 in the swivel bracket 34, so it pushes the swivel bracket 34 around the track 22 as the track line 20 traverses the arrangement of pulleys 12. In other embodiments not shown in FIGS. 1-3, knots larger than the aperture 35 in the swivel bracket 34 can be tied in the track line 20 to push the swivel bracket 34 around the track 22.

There can be almost any number of novelty FIGS. 32 secured to the track line 20, depending on the tension of the track line 20 and the amount of sag that the FIGS. 32 create on the track line 20. Any or all of the tension in the track line 20, the distance between the pulleys 12, the length of the figure lines 30, and the height of the pulleys 12 above the ground can be adjusted to determine the amount of clearance the FIGS. 32 will have from the ground or other objects, people and the like (e.g. “trick-or-treaters”). The types of novelty FIGS. 32 can vary widely, and include Halloween figures like ghosts, witches, goblins and the like, or cartoon or other characters from the world of entertainment. The novelty figures could also include, for example, holiday figures such as Easter, Christmas or Hanukkah figures, country, state or local flags, sports or corporate mascots; or corporate, sports and/or political signs and logos, business banners or advertisements. Also, figure lines 30 without any novelty FIGS. 32 could be supplied to allow the user to incorporate unique novelty figures according to their own designs.

In some embodiments, the novelty FIGS. 32 can be illuminated by, for example, a glow stick or other illumination device, or may be made of a highly visible or reflective “glow in the dark” material. If the FIGS. 32 are to be illuminated the figures can optionally be made of a translucent material to further enhance the illumination effect as they travel around the circuit 22 on the track line 20.

The apparatus 10 may optionally be provided in the form of a kit including a plurality of mounting brackets 14, each with associated pulleys 12, as well as attachment hardware for mounting the brackets 14 to an upright support 16. The kit may also include a length of wire, string or monofilament fishing line to form the track line 20, as well as shorter lengths of figure line 30 for attachment of the novelty FIGS. 32 to the track line 20. The kit may include swivel brackets 34 or other suitable connectors, as well as swivel stops 36 to prevent binding of the figure lines 30 as the track line 20 traverses the pulley circuit 22. The kit can further include an appropriate number of novelty FIGS. 32. Optionally, the kit could include any of an electric motor 11 and/or drive pulleys, a remote control apparatus 15, or a power source, as well as appropriate assembly and/or use instructions.

Various embodiments of the invention have been described. These and other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. 

1. An apparatus comprising a plurality of brackets, wherein each bracket is mountable on a substantially upright support, and wherein each bracket extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the support; a pulley on each bracket, wherein a rotational axis of the pulleys is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support; a first line retained by and moveable in the pulleys; a plurality of second lines attached to the first line, wherein the second lines extend in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support; at least one novelty figure attached to each of the second lines; and a drive apparatus, wherein the drive apparatus rotates at least one pulley to cause the first line to traverse the arrangement of pulleys.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the novelty figures are illuminated.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein at least one of the second lines is attached to the first line by a swivel bracket.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive apparatus comprises an electric motor, and wherein the electric motor is attached to a pulley via a shaft.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is remotely controllable.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second lines are substantially transparent.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second lines are substantially transparent.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second lines are polymeric monofilaments.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the novelty figures are selected from at least one of Halloween figures, cartoon figures, holiday figures, flags, sports mascots, corporate logos, and advertisements.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the novelty figure is a Halloween figure.
 11. A kit comprising: a plurality of brackets a pulley attached to each bracket; a first line for traversing the pulleys; a plurality of second lines; a plurality of apparatuses to attach the second lines to the first line; a plurality of novelty figures mountable on the second lines; and a drive pulley comprising a shaft.
 12. The kit of claim 11, further comprising an electric motor for attachment to the shaft of the drive pulley.
 13. The kit of claim 12, wherein the electric motor is remotely controllable, and the kit further comprises a controller for the electric motor.
 14. The kit of claim 11, wherein the novelty figures are selected from at least one of Halloween figures, cartoon figures, holiday figures, flags, sports mascots, corporate logos, and advertisements.
 15. The kit of claim 14, wherein the novelty figure is a Halloween figure. 